Installing VS Code and Extensions

What else is needed?#

All the necessary tools have already been installed so we can jump right in to using Helm.

However, it is strongly recommended to not skip this lesson in which we’ll install very helpful tools that will allow us to get better insight into the Kubernetes cluster and assist us in developing Helm charts.

The first and the most important tool is IDE. Theoretically, we could write everything in a simple text editor or directly in the terminal, e.g., using Vim. If you like this approach, go with it. But if you prefer to use more clickable tools, let’s explore.

Most of the time during this course we’ll be able to run all the commands in a web browser. Once we finish it, it’s recommended to use VS Code on a daily basis. It’s a lightweight, highly configurable editor, available on all platforms, and it’s free. Also, it’s very popular nowadays and offers lots of extensions for various software languages.

A possible alternative for VS Code is Intellij IDEA. It’s designed for Java developers, but there is also a paid version, Ultimate Edition, that has lots of useful tools for Kubernetes and Helm. Additionally, it gives helpful hints while writing code.

Install VS Code#

1. Regardless of theplatform, please go to the official website and download the preferable installer, as shown in the diagram below.

2. Once it’s downloaded, double-click it and follow the steps.

3. After the installation, we should be able to open the program, as shown below:

Next, let’s install some extensions.

Install VS Code extensions#

The extensions list can be found on the left panel and it’s represented by an icon with four squares, as shown below.

Once we’ve gotten there, we can either scroll the list to discover the most interesting ones or type their name into the input box.

Here are some recommended extensions to install (a link to the page for each extension has been added at the end of the lesson):

• Docker: This has extensions that help to build and manage Docker containers.

• Kubernetes: This helps visualize what’s inside of a Kubernetes cluster; with it, we’ll be able to see the changes that were made to the cluster after running Helm commands rather than checking them in a terminal.

• YAML: This is an obvious pick for a YAML files developer; it helps with formatting; it should be installed by default, so it’s listed just in case it’s not.

• indent-rainbow: This is another very helpful tool for YAML file development; it colorizes each indent and makes it easier to read, especially for files with a complex structure.

• Helm Intellisense: This provides auto-complete options when building a Helm chart.

• Go Template Support: This helps writing Helm charts and contains advanced features from the Go template language (which Helm template is based on).

• Cloud Code: This provides a convenient way to look into Google Cloud services.

• GitLens: This is a powerful tool for Git’s version control system; having Git is not a mandatory tool to learn Helm.